Kagome, Born of Fire
by DemonSaya
Summary: AU Four sisters, born of the elements hold the key to unlocking the power of the shikon no tama. Five hundred years ago, Naraku almost achieved his ultimate goal of unlocking it, but was thwarted by one of the sisters. Now a hanyou found one, born of fire
1. Prologue

Kagome, Born of Fire

By: Demonsaya

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Prologue

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She was bound at her wrists and ankles, tied to a stake in the middle of a reasonably empty field. Idly, she realized that she faced her cardinal direction. She couldn't look at the man who'd trussed her up as she was but she could hear the call of her sisters. They were afraid.

She opened her mouth and a strange cry left it. It sounded like the scream of a bird, but a large bird. She was very promptly slapped across the face. She met the cold red eyes of the man who was trying to use them.

"Now, now, my dear. I can't have you invoking the wrath of Suzaku upon me." The man sneered, now tell me where your symbol is. But the will of the gods, I invoke thee tell me the truth!"

The girl panted, then smiled. "You shall never find my symbol. The shikon no tama will forever be lost to you." Her voice sounded odd, like the crackle of fire. "In a few minutes the sun sets and we will return to our housings. You may be able to torture the earth, the water, the air..." Behind her blue eyes, one could see the fires of Suzaku burning brightly. "But you cannot torture the answer out of the fire."

The man lifted a knife to her throat, his eyes burning furiously. "TELL ME!"

The girl's eyes focused on the horizon. She began to chant softly in a forgotten language, hearing her sisters beginning to chant as well. Their voices rose in a chorus to the gods, ending in a keening wail as each element surrounded it's child. "_Take us back to where we were born from, to wait for they who shall use us for the purpose of good, not evil..._" She lifted her face to the sky, feeling the fire caressing her skin like an old lover, and a faint smile turned up her cheeks. She met the man's gaze. "You have failed, Naraku..." She whispered, and then the sun dipped below the horizon.

Just like that, the four stakes were left bare and the man before them screamed in fury. His prize was lost.

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"WHAT!" The game control went flying across the room and shattered upon impact with the wall. It was the third this week.

The young man watched his friend with amused violet eyes. He didn't speak as he stood, finding a well used pair of scissors laying on the desk in his friends room. He took the pair to the package of a brand new controller, shaking his head. This was not uncommon. When his friend lost his temper, whatever he was holding was promptly thrown against the wall. Usually he went through about three a month, but this had been a very bad week for his game controllers. He glanced at his friend, who was on the phone with his now ex-girlfriend Kikyou.

"What the hell do you mean, you can't take this anymore!" Inuyasha snarled into the phone, and Miroku heard the girl respond.

"_Inuyasha, it's just not working out...you can't give me what I need-_"

Miroku winced as Inuyasha's voice rose even louder. It was very obvious that the hanyou was going to have a very sore throat later tonight.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean! I buy you every fucking thing you ask for!" The girl said something in a whiny tone and Inuyasha's face darkened. "You know what, you're right, Kikyou. This isn't working out." He snarled in a dangerous sounding voice. Without another word, he hung up the phone on the girl.

Miroku winced, pointing at the playstation controller. "Want me to get that?"

Inuyasha flopped face down on his bed. He didn't say anything, he just turned his face away from his friend.

The boy nodded, going and getting the dustpan. He was familiar enough with the Fushizawa house that he knew where everything was. It helped that he avoided his own house like the plague. His step-father was a drunk, and without his mother around anymore, he was an easy target for the man's alcohol induced rages.

When he reentered his best friends room, he found it in the same state when he left it, but sans one hanyou. Miroku paused the game they'd been playing and cleaned up the controller, knowing full well where Inuyasha had gone. He deposited the destroyed piece of electronics in the trash, them moved towards the kitchen, not surprised to find Inuyasha leaning over a HUGE bowl of ramen noodles. "Bad week, my friend." Miroku said softly, getting himself a smaller bowl and sitting across from him.

"It's total bullshit. She fucking dumped me because I got grounded. It's her own damn fault I got grounded to begin with!" He snarled. He tightened his grip on his chopsticks before forcibly relaxing his hand so he didn't break his mother's favorites. He set them down and leaned back on his stool. "Stupid bitch..."

"Relax, Inuyasha. Plenty of fish in the sea, I always say."

Inuyasha looked at his friend and sighed softly. It had been the week from hell. His report card came and when his brother saw D's in two of his classes, he'd flipped out, saying that he obviously was spending too much time outside the apartment to do homework, and that he wasn't aloud outside for recreational activities. The reason he'd been staying out so much was because his girlfriend was fucking demanding. "I need a cigarette..."

The other boy looked at him in concern. "I thought you quit that?"

"I did..." He stood up, finding a carton of his brothers on top of the refrigerator. "But I've been thinking of starting again..."

"If Sesshoumaru catches you stealing his fags, he's gonna kill you."

"I'd like to see the fluffy asshole try." Inuyasha stepped out onto the balcony, looking at the city from his bird's eye view. He pulled out his antique lighter and gave it a few good flicks, trying to light it. No flame caught. He snarled softly, trying a few more times. A flame finally caught, and the wind put it out seconds before Inuyasha managed to get the cigarette to it. Just then, clouds filled the sky and the patter of rain began.

"I think mother nature is trying to tell you something." Miroku said, pulling the cigarette out of his mouth and tossing it off the balcony.

Inuyasha scoffed. "Mother nature needs to mind her own fucking business..." He grumbled, walking back inside, pocketing the old lighter. "It probably needs a new flint or something. I'll pick one up after school tomorrow."

"Before work?"

"What other free time to I have?" He grumbled. "Oh, that's right, nothing but. I'm grounded and Kikyou dumped me, so I have nothing BUT free time..." The hanyou walked back to his room and flopped down onto his bed.

Miroku shrugged from the doorway. "Hey, you always complained that Kikyou took up too much of your time. At least your free to do whatever you want now. She can't tell you 'it's unbefit' or 'you're too good for that loser friend of yours'." Miroku grinned at Inuyasha, knowing it was one of the causes of most of their arguments.

"You're not a loser, Miroku and you know it." Inuyasha said evenly. He sat up and grabbed the fresh controller, plugging it into his playstation. "Come on, where were we?"

Miroku grinned, grabbing his controller as well.

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Naraku felt the strange shift of the wind and glanced away from the lovely young girl on his arm, raising his eyes to the heaven. The scent of ozone was heavy in the air.

"What's wrong, Naraku?" The girl on his arm asked, a brilliant diamond necklace gracing her pale neck.

"Nothing, my dear, nothing at all." He smiled, leading her through the entrance of the hotel, then up to their room.

Less than an hour later, he left alone, a bright diamond necklace in his grasp, his hand covered in blood. He climbed into his car and placed a seal around the necklace, then gave the jewel in the middle a gentle rub. A wicked smile turned up the corner of his lips when wind whipped through the car and a girl appeared beside him, wearing pale blue and white garments. "Ah, Kagura...it has been awhile.

The girl's eyes landed on him and fear choked her throat. "Naraku..." She whispered fearfully.

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_AN: This is a trial to see what people think of the idea. I'll probably post a few more chapters of this, and if it goes well, I'll plan the rest. To those of you who use this story to wonder what happened to others, I'm working on it. I just have a lot of plot bunnies recently, and it's better to set them free than cage them and get writers block._


	2. Chapter 1

Kagome, Born of Fire

By: Demonsaya

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Chapter 1

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Inuyasha entered the school silently, glancing back and forth. Several students were staring at him and whispering. He stood there for a long minute, then took a deep breath, walking towards his locker. He had specifically requested the locker numbered 666 as a joke, but the school administration had not found it amusing. They tried to fight it, saying that he just was a deviant, he shouldn't get his locker number changed from the original 132, but he'd simply said 666 fit his personality, and if he didn't get it from admin, he'd just trade with the actual owner of the locker.

It was inside the locker he'd found his precious lighter.

This morning, he found his locker without much trouble. After all, everyone in the school knew how his temper was, and since he hadn't entered with Kikyou, it was obvious the pair had broken up, and he was NOT happy about it. They knew when he was in a bad mood, to just stay out of his way.

Most of them did, anyways.

Waiting near his locker was his sometimes friend Kouga, who was wearing a smirk, that while it sometimes made him feel mischevious and feel like raising some hell, this morning just pissed him off. "What the fuck do you want?" He snarled, spinning his combination with practiced ease.

"I hear Kikyou dumped you?"

"Hear that did ya?" Inuyasha snarled wrenching his locker door open.

"Yeah." He grinned again. "So that means she's available, right?"

The hanyou could see where this was going already. He could also see Kikyou up the hall, eyeing Kouga with a small smile on her face. "I wouldn't go out with her if I were you, Kouga. She'll take up all your time for nothing. She only spreads for guys she doesn't date." He said, grabbing his books, and slamming his locker shut. He'd said it loud enough that everyone in the viscinity, Kikyou included could hear.

Kikyou's face darkened. "You prick!" She screamed.

Inuyasha looked at her and tilted her head to the side. "Sticks and stones, bitch. Sticks and stones." He walked past her and reached into his jacket, pulling out his lighter. It was made of metal, with a detailed etching of flames on both sides. There were rubies lining the narrower sides. He'd taken it by Myoga, a pawn shop dealer, to get it priced years ago. Myoga had gotten a rather strange look on his face and said he couldn't buy that off of him, it was more valuable than money.

Since then, only Miroku had seen it.

He reached his class and flopped down, flicking his lighter a few times, hoping to spark a small flame. He had never really tried to use the lighter besides when he first found it an last night. He hadn't been entirely surprised that it didn't work the first time, but today, he'd sat down and examined it. The flint looked plenty fresh and when he shook it, he could hear the sound of lighter fluid slosh around in it.

"If you don't mind, Fushizawa-san, please don't play with that in class."

The hanyou glanced up at the teacher, finding the red eyes that had him pinned down rather unnerving. He snorted, slipping it into his pocket. Naraku Muriken was definitely not his favorite teacher. There was something eerie about him, something evil.

Then again, maybe that was just because he was the only youkai teacher, and seemed quite content to fail all of his students if given the chance. This history class was one of the things he was failing miserably. The other was his English class, which he just didn't care enough about to try in.

He glanced towards his friend and Miroku met his gaze, then rolled his eyes. The dark haired boy slipped a note onto his desk, and Inuyasha snorted. It wasn't really a note, more of a quick sketch of Naraku in nearly ridiculously spiky armor, while Inuyasha was dressed in feudal period clothing, slicing through him with an enormous sword. Quickly, he folded it and slipped it into his notebook, to add to the collection of Miroku's amusing sketches.

Class drug on, then the next, and the next. The only relief was that Inuyasha never had to move a muscle. Each class was held in the same room, only the teacher's changed. Miroku and he relaxed a bit as the day went on, dropping rude comments towards Kikyou's friends during lunch. They bit back icily, which made the hanyou-human pair laugh.

"So you staying again tonight?" Inuyasha asked over his cup of ramen.

Miroku gave a strained smile and shook his head. "No. There are some things at home I need to take care of first. I gotta do laundry and intercept my report card. The old turd sees it and he's gonna have a cow."

"I'd pay to see that." Inuyasha grinned. "The old man giving birth to a full grown cow? That's money making cinema, there."

Miroku let out a snort, stirring his noodles as well. "Are you sure your brother wont care if I move in with you two?" He asked, glancing back up at him.

The hanyou shrugged. "I don't see why he would. You practically live there anyways. He had a room made up for you as it is." He saw the nervous look on his friends face and put a hand on his arm. "Hey, you want me to come along? If nothing, I can keep the old man's hands off of you."

The boy shook his head, his face serious. "No, Inuyasha. This is something I have to do myself." He said softly.

Inuyasha nodded. "Alright."

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Miroku walked into his father's apartment quietly, stepping over every loose floorboard that he came near. He walked into his bedroom and pulled out a black trash bag. Without a word, he started shoving in his clothing and any precious items he found. One of which was a picture of his mother and birth father, holding a very small him. He shoved that into his bag as well. He also located his mother's jewelery, stashing that in the bag as well.

He thought he would get out of the apartment home free, when he heard the front door open and his step-father come stumbling in. Drunk. Again.

Miroku stood there in front of him, two black trash bags thrown over his shoulder, trembling.

"Taking out the trash, eh, kid?" The man looked at the bags closely, then around the apartment, realizing that most of Miroku's things were missing. His face darkened and he stepped towards the young man.

Miroku stepped back.

The older man raised a fist, and punched Miroku as hard as he could in the face. He fell backwards, hearing glass inside the bag break beneath his hand and slice deeply into his palm. His step-father fell onto him, hitting him as hard as he could. "You're fucking not goin' anywhere, brat!" The old man screamed, slamming Miroku's head against the floor.

The boy remained silent. Eventually, the man's wild movements stopped and he slumped to the floor, finally passing out in his drunken stupor. Miroku stood up with a little difficulty, and scooped up his bags with his good hands, then walked out of the apartment, closing the door. He locked it behind him and tossed his keys into the trash can.

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Some one was trying to call her. The daughter of fire clung to her home desperately, her entire being feeling frail. She could sense anger in the one trying to summon her. Not the same anger as Naraku. Not evil anger. Raw, and misguided anger. Still, she couldn't come out for an angry person. She needed someone with a good heart, a good spirit. Someone who wouldn't misuse her powers.

She desperately turned her thoughts to her sisters. She had felt Kagura's fear not long ago. It felt as though it had only been moments before. It told her that Naraku still existed in the world, and he had one of her sisters. Soon, the time would come to leave her home. To find Naraku and rid the world of him. She just had to find the right spirit...

She and her sisters were in grave danger. She had to save Kagura. She had to save her sister born of air.

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The knock at the door woke Inuyasha from a dead sleep. He yawned, standing up and walking towards the entrance. It wasn't Sesshoumaru. His brother had arrived home hours ago and was sleeping in the main room of the apartment. That left Miroku, whom he fallen asleep waiting for. He glanced through the peep hole and found his friends back to him and two large black trashbags. He opened the door with a yawn. "Shit, man, where you been?"

Miroku turned towards him slowly.

Inuyasha sucked in a sharp breath. "Oh, fuck..." He grabbed his arm carefully, pulling him into the entry. It was covered in marble tiles, which wouldn't stain from the blood. "Hold on a sec." He ran to the bathroom while Miroku removed his sneakers. The hanyou returned with a damp towel, which he put against Miroku's palm and wrapped his hand around. "Come on, man. Let's get you cleaned up."

Inuyasha had been trying to convince Miroku to move into his older brother's apartment for years. Ever since he'd learned of what Miroku's step-father did to him. More than once, he'd had to clean up his best friends wounds. Yet, never had he seen it as bad as tonight. "What the hell happened?" He asked, rinsing the cut on his palm with warm water and checking carefully for glass.

"He caught me as I was leaving. He was drunk as hell. The only reason he didn't kill me is 'cause he passed out after about ten minutes." Miroku winced as he spoke, his jaw still smarting from the right hook his step-dad gave him. "I didn't wait around for him to wake up. I hightailed it out of there and threw my keys in the dumpster."

"Then you're staying here from now on." Inuyasha said, frowning. "Good. I was wondering when you'd come to your senses."

"Heh." Miroku just grinned.

About half an hour later, Sesshoumaru appeared at the doorway. "Something happened at one of our hotels again. I have to go in early and check it out." Sesshoumaru said blearily, his eyes still heavy from sleep deprivation. "I'll be back around ten tonight." He said, then stumbled towards the door.

Inuyasha frowned deeply. Something was always happening at the families hotels. Suicides, 'Romeo and Juliettes', murders, robberies. It seemed the more pricey the hotel, the weirder the shit that happened there was. Under a month ago, a mob boss was assassinated in the downstairs restaurant.

The hanyou finished cleaning up his friend and glanced at his watch. He had to get up for school in an hour, so there was no point going back to sleep. He helped his friend get settled into the spare bedroom and then changed for school. He found some left over chicken stir fry in the fridge and microwaved it for breakfast, and ate it quickly, stepping out onto the balcony for a quick smoke.

He'd bought a cheep bic lighter after school, because after all of that bullshit, he desperately needed a cigarette. He lit the cigarette between his lips and took a long drag, exhaling slowly. A sigh escaped him and he pulled out his antique lighter and gave it a few flicks. It sparked slightly and he sighed, giving it a good hard flick. To his amazement, it lit and stayed lit. He held it in his hands, waving it back and forth, watching the flame dance.

He felt heat at his back and heard a strange roaring sound in his ears. He turned, finding a girl floating about a foot off his balcony and he let out a strangled shout. The girl had black hair falling down around her in wild waves. The hanyou pressed his back firmly against the balcony railing, his logical mind trying to make sense of why the girl was surrounded by flames, but didn't seem to be burning.

Slowly, the girl's eyes opened, revealing two eyes, blue as the center of a flame.

Miroku appeared on the other side of the kitchen, his eyes wide with shock. "INUYASHA!" He called, moving towards them.

The girl didn't speak, just merely stared into Inuyasha's golden eyes. Then, her eyes rolled back into her head and she fell to the ground, the flames that had licked her body suddenly gone. He moved without think, catching her before she hit the ground. Slowly, he looked up at Miroku, who was staring back at him with an equally stunned expression. He could tell that both of them were thinking the same thing.

What the hell just happened?

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_AN: Chapter one done. This probably isn't the final draft. This is just the trial run. I still have two other elements to bring in so far, so, I don't know how this is going to go. Please review if you read this far. I need to know how the response to this story is so I can decide if I actually want to continue it. No point in restructuring the prologue and first chapter if no one wants to read more, right? Anyways, thanks for reading!_


	3. Chapter 2

Kagome, Born of Fire

By: Demonsaya

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Chapter 2

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Inuyasha and Miroku skipped school that day. It was an offense he knew full well his brother would punish both of them for, but had he gone, he wouldn't have been able to get a lick of work done. Not when there was an unconscious girl laying in his room, on his bed. As it was, he had to concentrate on boiling water for his lunch, which was normally such a mindless task, he would just walk away and play a little Tekken, then come back after about ten minutes. Today was different. Today, he'd let the boiling water dwindle down to nearly nothing.

Miroku was sitting at the table, examining his wounded palm. Evidentially his mind was elsewhere, too, because he didn't seem to care about the trouble Inuyasha was having to pick on him.

Inuyasha poured the boiling water into the Styrofoam cups, and passed one of them to his companion, pulling out some disposable chopsticks for them. "What the hell are we gonna tell my brother when he get's home?" The hanyou wondered, putting his face in his hands. He was exhausted, having stayed up late waiting for Miroku to show, then getting up early to help bandage his friends sorry hide up.

"I suppose we tell her that you found a new girlfriend?" Miroku joked, stirring his noodles with his chopsticks, then gave his friend a grin. "Or she could be my girlfriend."

"Keh." The hanyou snorted. "Don't be stupid. She fucking passed out on my balcony. If she's anybodies girlfriend, we're saying she's mine." He shook his head, glancing towards the balcony. I'd love to know who the hell she is. And how the hell she got onto the balcony without me seeing or hearing her." The hanyou shook his head, sighing softly.

"How about why she was hovering in the air and surrounded by flames?" Miroku offered, shaking his head. "This is unbelievable. Do you think she's some kind of magical girl?"

Inuyasha glared at his friend. "Magical girl? Miroku, don't be stupid. There's no way that girl in there is one of those damn Sailor Moon bimbo's." He scoffed, shaking his head. "Besides, if she is, where's her fuku? Hm? I don't think Sailor Scouts fall out of the sky wearing something like a Miko garb. Weirdest damn thing I've ever seen."

Miroku shrugged. "Do you have a better idea?"

"Not a fucking clue." Inuyasha admitted, tearing the paper completely off his cup and beginning to shovel noodles into his mouth. "I doubt she's a demon. She doesn't have the scent of Youki on her." He stared into his cup, frowning. "I dunno, maybe she's an angel or something." He muttered under his breath.

Miroku snorted into his soup. "An angel? Angels don't usually have the fires of hell surrounding them. Unless she's a fallen angel? Whatever the hell she is, she's freaking gorgeous. You got a look at her before she fainted. What color are her eyes?"

Inuyasha frowned, trying to remember. He was a bit busy being scared out of his wits to pay a whole lot of attention to the girl's eyes. He frowned deeply. "I think they were blue." He said softly." This was definitely shaping up to be a seriously bad week. "Maybe I should call Kaede-babaa. She might know something."

"She certainly is older than dirt." Miroku agreed, nodding in an almost sagely manner. "If anyone would know, she would."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang and Inuyasha froze, glancing towards the front door. He held his finger to his lips and crept towards the door, avoiding all the creaky floorboards. He peered out of the peep hole and gave the door frame a sniff. He glanced towards Miroku and pointed towards his bedroom. 'Hide her.' He mouthed.

Miroku ran lightly down the hall disappearing into the room and pulled the door shut. Inuyasha sighed heavily and grabbed a blanket, wrapping it around his head and shoulders. Then, he opened the door, looking at his youkai teacher, Naraku. "What the fuck d'ya want?" Inuyasha grumbled, then went into a fake coughing fit. Naraku didn't have an inuyoukai nose, so he wouldn't smell the lie, or the illness.

"You and Miroku didn't show up at school today. Are you two playing hookie?" Naraku glanced past him into the apartment. He made as if to enter, and Inuyasha blocked his path.

"I'm sick, and Miroku's father beat the crap out of him last night." Inuyasha said evenly. "And you know my brother doesn't let me have people in the apartment when he's not here..." He arched an eyebrow. That part was true. But that didn't say anything about guests who dropped in via the balcony.

Naraku glanced towards the balcony, sensing the magic that was infused with the air of the apartment. Another of the four had awoken. Only two remained. He had to find those other two. "Where is your brother right now?"

"Down at the hotel." Inuyasha said, stepping into the hall and closing the door behind him so Naraku would quit staring into his apartment. He turned and looked at his teacher. Then, he glanced at his watch. "Shouldn't you be at school. Class starts again in fifteen minutes..." The hanyou said leadingly.

Naraku gave an evil smile. "Indeed. I suppose I'll see you and Miroku in school tomorrow." He said, then turned, walking down the hall."

Inuyasha breathed easier when he was gone, and turned, entering the apartment in time to hear a feminine scream. "Shit..." He grumbled, throwing off the blanket and closing and locking the door. He made his way to his apartment and found the girl pressed against the opposite corner of the room from his friend, who was laying in a pile in his closet. Inuyasha leaned against the door frame and arched an eyebrow. "You didn't." He said directly at his friend.

Miroku looked up and his hand twitched. "It's a curse." He said, smiling at his friend. "And it was completely accidental. I was merely trying to make sure her heart was still beating."

"My ass." Inuyasha walked into the room and glanced at the girl. "You okay, wench?"

A strange look covered the girl's face. "Wench?" She asked, pulling herself to her full height of about five feet. "That's an awfully rude thing to call me."

The hanyou rolled his eyes, hauling his friend off the ground. "Yeah, well, I'm an awfully rude person." He sat down on his bed, looking at the girl, his face rather irritated. "So, now that you've dropped in, quite literally, who are you, what are you, and where the hell did you come from?"

The girl looked at him, her face untrusting. "I don't think I wish to tell you." She said stubbornly, then flopped to the floor in her corner, her hakama bunching around her ankles. She eyed the boy from the corner of her eyes, trying not to notice that he was probably the most attractive male she'd set her eyes upon in several hundreds of years. His hair was long and white, his eyes bright gold, and he had two twitching dog-ears atop his head.

Inuyasha growled softly. "Look, this isn't a negotiation. You appeared on MY balcony, and have spent the past six hours asleep in MY bed." He glanced towards Miroku, who just smiled and shrugged, seeming to enjoy the fireworks from the desk chair he'd settled into. "We carried your fat ass in here, so we deserve some answers."

"FAT!" She nearly shrieked, on her feet in less than an instant. She glared at him fiercely. "You have no right to demand anything of me, you foolish mortal! You're the one who summoned me in the first place! You don't screw around with objects containing magicks and expect nothing to happen!"

Inuyasha met her gaze and found himself staring at flames. Almost literally. Behind her pupils, it was almost like the flames of hell were inside her. "What the hell are you talking about!" He snarled, getting into her face.

The girl snapped her fingers, and he was startled to find his lighter suddenly in her hand.

"Hey, that's mine-"

"No, this is MINE. My home. For hundreds of years, I have lived right here-" She pointed at the line of rubies on the side, pointing to the largest one in the middle. I have been trying NOT to be found and until today, I succeeded. You made a flame, you damn fool! Haven't you wondered why this lighter never worked! It was to keep idiots like you from obtaining my power!"

Miroku was practically buzzing with excitement. "Are you a genie or something! This is so fucking awesome! I knew there'd never be a dull moment in this house!" He was silenced by a glare from the girl who stood in the middle of the room.

"Don't be ridiculous." She stood straight, her pitch black hair falling down her back in waves. "Of course I'm not a Jin. I can do similar things, but I am far different than Jin." She looked back towards the boy on the bed.

"Ohh! I want first wish!" Miroku cried out, bouncing up and down.

The girl sighed, feeling exhausted. Her anger took a lot out of her. She supposed it were Suzaku's power reminding her that she's not supposed to bitch and moan about these kind of things. She slumped back against the wall and slid down to the floor. Not to mention her return to the physical plane after fighting it for so long was extremely draining. She closed her eyes and heard the boy on the bed talking with his friend.

"What the hell do you mean, first wish? I'm the one who called her! I get first wish!"

"But I want to wish for one of my own! She's cute! I bet any others are cute too!"

"MIROKU!"

"WOULD YOU BOTH SHUT UP!" She finally screamed as loud as she could, before slumping to the floor. 'My fires are running low. This isn't good. If I run into Naraku, I wont be able to put up much of a fight...' She felt two warm arms lift her up and she was settled against the bed again. She looked towards the hanyou, then glanced away. "Thank you."

"At least tell us what you're called?" He said firmly, sounding equally tired. He pulled the blankets up to her chin

She rolled onto her side, staring at the lighter as she set it on the bedside table. "I am Kagome." She said softly. Then, her eyes drifted closed and she fell asleep once again.

"Kagome..." He said quietly. Gently, he brushed a bit of her hair back. Then he gave a small grin, glancing towards Miroku. "What do you think we should do about her?" He asked, gesturing towards her with his head.

Miroku looked at the girl through wide eyed. "Do you think we could sell her on e-bay?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sesshoumaru looked towards the door, wishing desperately to go home, have a nice hot cup of coffee and settle down with a novel. But it was only five in the evening, and the police were still in that room. He had arrived just as they bought the body out. As he was a youkai, the human police were not particularly kind to him while questioning him.

In their mind, he was just as guilty as the demon that had done the deed.

They had scattered the forensic photographs on his desk and yelled at him, trying to get him to confess to a crime he had not committed. The youkai snorted, glancing towards the boy at the desk, another youkai. "Did the police question you already, Kouga?" Sesshoumaru asked coldly.

"Naturally. They questioned the youkai workers FIRST. Not surprising. I don't know many humans who can rip a womans heart out of her chest." He said, inspecting his claws. "Your brother wasn't in school today." He glanced at his boss, seeing a very irate expression on his face. "Naraku cut out around mid-day and came back just after lunch. He said Inuyasha was 'sick', but I don't think he believed him."

Sesshoumaru nodded firmly. "Tell Naraku to stay out my business. He is my brother, I will deal with him." He glanced at his watch impatiently, then walked towards the chief of police. "I have a family issue to deal with. You can reach me at this number if you need me." He handed the officer his card, then headed towards the door.

"You haven't been excused yet." The officer objected.

Sesshoumaru turned towards the man, his face deadly calm. "I have a family issue. I am not one of your bitches to order about. I have my own life that I need to get on with. If you need me for more than sitting upon my ass, call that number. Goodnight, officer." He said, then turned, walking out the door. Fifteen hours of work on three hours of sleep. He needed a vacation.

He drove back to his apartment, taking the elevator up the stairs. Sure enough, Naraku's stench was everywhere. He reached the top floor and unlocked the door at the end of the hall. He paused, sniffing carefully. He could smell the scent of magic all over the hall. He walked in, heading straight for his younger brother's room. He paused, finding the boys arguing in the guest room in somewhat hushed voices.

"We are NOT selling her on e-bay, cretin!" Inuyasha snarled under his breath.

"But think of all the money we could make! We'd be independently rich! We'd never have to live off the fat of your brother again!"

"We're NOT SELLING HER ON E-BAY!"

"Who are you not selling on e-bay, little brother?"

Both boy's froze. Inuyasha turned towards his brother and took a deep breath. "It's a long story..." The hanyou breathed, shaking his head. "Don't fly off the handle, but there's this girl-"

"You ditched school because of a GIRL!" Sesshoumaru had him by the throat and against the wall in under a moment. "What did you do, Inuyasha! Where is she!"

Inuyasha tried to hush his brother, tried to get him to lower his voice. But his demonic hearing could already hear the movement in the next room, and evidentially, so could his brother. They barely had time to move, when the girl they were talking about walked in.

Kagome took in the sight of the room for a long moment. She glanced at the boy who'd called her, his friend, then the one who had the one who'd called her against the wall. "Could you guys keep your testosterone induced Machismo down a bit? I'm trying to sleep." She said wearily.

Sesshoumaru stared at the girl in shock. Magic was coming off the girl in waves. He looked towards Inuyasha and dropped him. "What have you done, Inuyasha? How in the name of hell did you get an Elemental into this house!"

Both younger boys looked from Sesshoumaru to Kagome in confusion.

Sesshoumaru looked the girl directly in the eye. "Fire spirit? Jesus effing christ..." He put his head in his hands. "Get her out of here." He shook his head. "I want her gone in one hour, I don't care how or why, but she'd better be gone."

Kagome's face twitched. "I would. But I can't."

Everyone looked at her in shock. Inuyasha felt a strange pang in his chest. Why were girls always so desperate to get away from him?

"Elemental spirits such as myself are bound to the one who summoned them. He-" She pointed at Inuyasha. "Accidentally pulled me from my home. Until he dies, or the Shikon no Tama has been summoned and used, I am stuck at his side." She sighed. "And with Kagura active, that leaves two in hybernation. Sango, and Ayame. Spirits of Earth and Water. If He get's them first..." She ground her teeth together, and fisted her hands.

Sesshoumaru flopped down, looking exhausted. Everyone in the apartment looked tired. He glanced from the girl, to his brother, to his brother's friend and then sighed. "I cannot think about this until I have gotten some sleep. We will discuss all of this tomorrow." He cracked his neck and stood once again. "Fire spirit-"

"My name's Kagome."

"Kagome, then, you may rest in my brother's room. It's a wreck, but it's the next nicest room in the house compared to mine. Inuyasha you can stay in here with Miroku."

"If you don't mind-" Kagome raised her voice. "It is best that the person who called me is close. I will rejuvenate faster if he is." She said evenly.

Inuyasha turned an indescribable shade of red. "But-what!"

Sesshoumaru shrugged. "Fine, whatever. I'm going to bed. I'm running on three hours of sleep and I can't think straight. Maybe I'll wake in the morning and all of this will have been a really bad dream..." He muttered, disappearing.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha and bowed. "I shall wait for you." She said, then left the room.

Miroku sidled up to his friends side. "Just broken up with one girl and already got another, man, I'm impressed." He elbowed his friend lightly in the ribs. "Go on, man, don't keep the girl waiting!" He pushed his friend from his room, then closed the door, laughing merrily at his poor friend.

Inuyasha stood in the hallway, beet red, trying to decide if this week could really get any worse.

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_AN: Another chapter done. Hope everyone enjoyed. Heh. Inuyasha gets to sleep with the pretty girl. Mind out of the gutters, hentai's they only just met! As you all know, please review if you read this far, you're more likely to get another chapter! Thanks a bunch!_


	4. Chapter 3

Kagome, Born of Fire

By: Demonsaya

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Chapter 3

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It was almost midnight when Inuyasha finally fell asleep in his desk chair. Kagome had fallen asleep long ago, but Inuyasha was having trouble coping with the fact that there was a girl sleeping in HIS bed. He had taken to pacing, but that did nothing to ease his mind.

His eyes were constantly drawn back to the girl on his bed. She was an odd one, that was for sure. She would be yelling at him one moment and then slumping to the floor exhausted the next. Now this? He had to share a room with the twit? He glared at her, but his face unexpectedly softened. Quickly, he shook his head and went back to pacing. He paced for an hour before he finally sat in his chair and tried to stay very still so he would fall asleep.

A few short hours later, Kagome woke, finding it still dark. Across the room, slumped against his desk, sat the one who'd called her, shivering from the cold of the room. She glanced at the blanket on her and stood, walking towards him. Gently, she wrapped the blanket around his shoulders. She needed to find Grandfather Myoga. A sigh escaped her and she walked towards the door to the room, then went to the kitchen. She glanced around, finding herself a little out of place in it.

She didn't speak, walking around the room, reading the manuals of how to use everything in the immense room. Once she was certain she was fairly grounded in the use of the strange things, she went to work, making coffee, breakfast, squeezing some orange juice fresh. She stirred the miso soup and peered down into it, then glanced over at the fish in a skillet.

"What on earth is that heavenly aroma?"

Kagome turned, flashing a bright smile. "Good morning." She said cheerfully, setting a bowl of rice in front of her summoner's friend. She watched him dig in and then a moment later, Sesshoumaru walked into the kitchen, wearing an sleepy expression.

"Coffee..." He said, walking to the coffee machine, and pouring a cup of the stuff and downing half of it with a gulp. He blinked, looking down into the cup as if wondering how coffee got into the coffee pot when he was quite sure he hadn't put it there. Then, he looked at Kagome, putting two and two together. He grunted in appreciation, then sat down at the bar leaving the only open seat the one in the middle.

Not long after Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha walked in, looked around, and headed right towards her. "What are you doing?" He asked, bleary eyed. It was entirely too early in the morning to be conscious.

"Making breakfast." She said, setting a bowl of rice in front of Sesshoumaru. She saw Inuyasha get an irate expression on his face and snatched up some chopsticks, grabbed some fish with them and shoved it into his mouth before he could ruin her good mood. "Since I'm well rested and you all were so accommodating yesterday, it's the least I could do."

Inuyasha chewed the fish, finding that there was a reason women did the cooking, and allowed himself to be pushed towards the middle seat. Inuyasha began picking at a bowl of rice, watching the girl serve the fish and miso soup. When she was done, she sat down across from them, and smiled. "Aren't you gonna eat?" He asked, arching an eyebrow, seeing she didn't bring any food of her own to the table.

Her smile faltered. "No." She said evenly. "Elementals can't eat human food." She said evenly.

Sesshoumaru, now that he was well rested and had some coffee down him, looked at the girl, his brow furrowed. "How did you get here?"

Kagome snapped her palm, summoning her home. She set the lighter on the table. "Each of my sisters live in a jewel. My older sister Kagura was housed in a diamond, I in a ruby, Sango in an pearl, and Ayame in a emerald. Your brother was playing with this, and got it to catch flame, which deactivated my homes seal." She sighed, looking out the window.

Inuyasha winced, glancing away. "Shit, sorry."

"It's probably for the best." Kagome said evenly.

"Okay, now that we have the how, I don't know much about elementals. You should explain what you are." Sesshoumaru said sternly.

The girl rolled her eyes. "I'm an elemental. I can conjure, cast positive and negative magicks. Every few hundred years, I am awoken with my sisters to summon the Shikon no Tama, a mystical jewel that can give someone ultimate power." She frowned slightly. "Then we return to our homes until we're summoned again." She bit her lip. 'Naraku has Kagura...he's probably going to try to summon the jewel again. If he gets the others, there's going to be trouble for me."

Inuyasha saw the troubled expression on the girl's face and glanced towards Miroku. Obviously, his friend noticed as well. "Last night you said...someone has one of your sisters?"

Kagome nodded, frowning. "Yes. I felt her activation not long ago. I sense it is the last person who tried to summon the jewel. A power hungry demon that goes by Naraku."

All of the men stared at her through wide eyes. "N-NARAKU!" Inuyasha jumped to his feet, his brow creasing. "What the hell are you talkin about! He's one of my fucking teachers!"

"He showed up here yesterday around lunch time." Miroku said quietly.

Kagome covered her mouth. Then, her body temperature rose rapidly in it's defense. "No, no no no. He already knows where I am! DAMN!" She slammed her hands down on the table top, unwittingly melting the linoleum. All three stared at her hands, wide-eyed, then glanced back up at her. She fixed Inuyasha with a serious stare. "He knows where I am, so he knows who has me. He'll try to come after you and your friends."

Sesshoumaru frowned deeply. "This is a different era, now, Kagome. Naraku will not attack in the open-"

She whirled on him, her hair shimmering orangy-red for a moment. "Naraku does not care about what era he lives in. If he obtains the jewel, your laws will not stop him. Nothing will. This world will become hell on earth."

Miroku frowned a bit. "If Naraku is so powerful, how did he fail to find the jewel last time?"

Kagome smiled a bit. "Trickery on my part. I gave him the wrong housing. He tried to summon the jewel when the real person who summoned me took my jewel far away and hid it. Naraku realized too late, and since he failed to find the appropriate housing afterwards, he vanished, and my summoner returned, as per my instructions and hid the other jewels at the corners of the world." She bit her lip. "I have to find the rest of them before Naraku...he already has Kagura."

Inuyasha sighed and stood. "Then we'll help you." He said evenly. Everyone looked at him. He shrugged at her and smiled. "Hell, I was getting bored with school anyways."

Miroku grinned as well. "So, where did you have your summoner hide the jewels last time?"

"Well..."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Kouga walked into his father's house and found his parents and grandfather waiting for him. He halted, staring at them, frowning deeply. "What's going on?" He asked, smelling the worry in the room.

"Son..." His father stood, his brow creasing in worry. "I'm afraid we have a terrible burden to place upon your shoulders. On behalf of the wolf tribe."

The young wold demon walked straight into the room and sat down cross legged on the floor, waiting for the words his father would say.

His grandfather spoke instead. "For five hundred years, our family has had a special treasure. It is part of a collection of four, very rare jewels." The old man opened his fist, revealing a large ring with an emerald emblazoned on the front. "There is a very old evil hunting for these jewels, and you must protect this one your life."

Kouga frowned, glancing towards his melancholy father. "Why isn't father taking this responsibility?" He asked evenly. It was an honest question.

"Because you are the most able-bodied wolf demon right now, Kouga. You are strong enough to shoulder the responsibility. Your father begged to take the burden for you, but he is too old. This is a battle for the new generation. I was merely a pup when it was brought to our tribe. If times were not so dangerous now, I would not give this to you."

The young wolf demon took the ring in his hand and wrapped his fist around it. "I shall guard it with my very life." He promised solemnly.

"Be careful, child, this evil already has his hands on one of the jewels, and he would do anything to get his hands on the rest." The old man warned.

"Yeah, yeah, old man." Kouga grumbled. He stood and walked towards his room. When he was gone, his father looked at the old man. "Shouldn't you have told him how to summon it?"

"He'll figure it out on his own. He can't stay out of contact with earth for long." The old man smiled sadly, shaking his head.

Kouga fell back on his bed, staring at the ring. There was nothing particularly extraordinary about it, but Kouga HAD made a promise, and it was a promise he would keep. With a grumble, he shoved it into his pocket and rolled over to get some sleep.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Inuyasha was alone in the house with her. Miroku had gone to talk to old man Myoga, Sesshoumaru had finally gone into work. Inuyasha stood on the balcony, holding one of his brother's cigarettes between two fingers. His mind was elsewhere. He closed his eyes, tilting his head back and blew the smoke and went to take another drag and was startled to find that his cigarette was no longer burning. He frowned and pulled out his lighter, attempting to light it again, but his new bic lighter didn't work.

"That's bad for you."

Kagome's voice behind him startled him and he dropped the cigarette. With a curse, he bent down, picking it back up. "No shit. But it's relaxing." He snapped, glaring at her. He began flicking the lighter, trying to spark a flame and blinked when two fingers plucked the cigarette out of his mouth and incinerated it in a flash. His face darkened and he pulled out his pack, getting another one.

"Cigarettes..." She snorted, snatching the pack away with a look of disgust. "Do you know how many chemicals you inhale with each breath? Not to mention the second hand smoke you're making your friends deal with..." She gave him a serious look. "You should quit."

"I did. My last girlfriend couldn't stand it." He snorted, snatching the pack back and pulling out one. "She said it made her look bad." He pulled out a stick and brought out his lighter, trying to light this one.

The girl leaned against the railing. "I can't stop you." She said with a weary sigh. She snapped her fingers and the lighter flicked to life.

He glared at her, bringing it to the end of his cigarette and took a deep breath. "Keh. I shoulda known it was you fucking around with my lighter."

She shook her head sadly, walking towards the apartment. "I feel sorry for you, Inuyasha." She said evenly.

"What, bitch?" He snapped, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"You can't cope with stress so you smoke. It's like a slow suicide." She turned away, opening the sliding glass door.

"You don't know a damn thing about me, bitch!" He snarled, walking up behind her.

She turned towards him, making him stop abruptly, startled to find himself a hairs breath away from her. She frowned at him. "You think so? You had that lighter for almost two years and you think I know nothing about you?" She shook her head. "I have been with you nearly constantly, and I can sense emotions. You're a very angry person, Inuyasha, did you know that?"

"Yeah, and I'm getting angrier..." He growled, putting a hand on the frame of the glass door, leaning towards her menacingly. He found he couldn't stop looking at her lips. Slowly, he leaned down, and would have kissed her, but she took a step into the apartment.

"Sorry, but I don't like smoker breath." She said, then promptly disappeared. Literally.

The hanyou's eyes widened, then narrowed and he tossed the cigarette off the balcony. "Damn bitch..." He muttered.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The red haired young man ran full speed down the street, in a near panic. The school had given his old locker away. He had checked all the pawn shops nearest to it, trying to find the ancient lighter, knowing that if his father found out he'd lost their heirloom.

"Ohhhh, he's gonna kill me!" The boy cried frantically, bursting into his last hope, the last pawnshop in the area. Behind the counter was a short, round older man. In front of the counter was a young man wearing a button down purple shirt. He paused to catch his breath, and looked at the one who owned the shop. "Excuse...me...has anyone...brought an antique lighter in here?"

The younger of the pair arched an eyebrow, glancing at the shops proprietor. "Yes, as a matter of fact. My friend did, almost two years ago, and tried to pawn it. It's best if you didn't have it, though. It doesn't even work."

"NO!" The boy rushed towards him, grabbing the front of his shirt. "You don't understand! My dad is gonna kill me if I don't find that thing soon! It's a family heirloom! It's been in the family for five hundred years!"

The boy sighed, putting a hand on the young man's head. "Look, kid, I'll take you to my friends place, but I don't think he's gonna give it back to you. The name's Miroku Aono. Who are you?"

"I'm Shippou."

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_AN: Sorry about the rather uneventful chapter. Next chapter I'll probably bring in the other two sisters. We'll see. And we'll find out what the fuzzy monkey's up to. Thanks for reading this far!_


	5. Chapter 4

Kagome, Born of Fire

By: Demonsaya

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Chapter 4

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He watched her meditate in silence. Each of the sisters had an ethereal kind of beauty, and Kagura of the air was no different. Inky black hair collected atop her head, delicate bone structure, strange red eyes. Her body was wrapped in a fine kimono of blue and white. Power radiated off her body in waves.

Yes, Kagura was beautiful, but Kagura wasn't the one he wanted.

The one he wanted had dark, brown-black hair, and eyes that were the same blue as the center of the flames she'd been born from.

The demon shuddered slightly at the memory. Kagome was different from her sisters. She refused to give him her housing, didn't falter in the face of his threats, refused to scream when subjected to torture. This time would be different however. He would subject her to tortures more terrifying than last time. Due to time constraints, he had never gotten what he truly wished from her.

Yes, this time would be different. This time he would have the power of the shikon no tama, and he would have _her_.

The wind spirit opened her eyes and warily looked towards Naraku. The man had a disturbing expression on his face. "I have located my sister Ayame." She said softly, sadly. She had no choice but to do as the bastard wished, however. After all, her previous owner had been killed, and Naraku had summoned her. She closed her eyes in regret.

"What of the spirit of water?"

Kagura twitched faintly. "Her housing is well hidden. I know not where yet. Ayame is in the keeping of the wolf demons." She ground her teeth together, waiting for him to order her to go retrieve the ring.

The demon smiled just a bit, standing. "The wolf demons? No doubt that brat child Kouga." He smiled, straightening his sports jacket and stood, looking towards her. "You will join me at the school tomorrow and retrieve it for me." He commanded evenly.

She bowed her head in compliance. She knew what the punishment was for disobeying orders.

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Mornings should be outlawed.

Sesshoumaru thought, rolling out of his king sized bed and practically onto all fours. He groaned, remembering he would have to go into the school today and excuse his brother's absence. "Goddamn kid..." He muttered, getting to his feet and walking into his closet. He pulled out a black silk suit and lavender shirt, then began perusing his ties.

"I'd go with purple."

The feminine voice behind him startled him, as he didn't even smell the girl before her voice was heard. "Why are you in my room?" He asked, arching an eyebrow.

She leaned against the door of the closet, not looking at him. "I left Kagura in the care of the inu youkai of the west. Why did Naraku get her? In fact, I could be wrong, but the fox spirit was supposed to leave her with your father."

Sesshoumaru scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. How should I know?" He began pulling on his clothing, then looked at the girl. "What are you accusing me of?"

"Nothing, I just want to know how it was lost. Then perhaps I can learn how to get her back." Blue eyes turned towards him, seemingly unaffected by his nudity.

The youkai scoffed again, ripping down a purple tie. "Father gave Inuyasha's mother a diamond necklace for their one year anniversary. Shortly there after, he was killed by a rouge dragon, and a few years later, she followed. That's all I know."

"Was she buried with the necklace?"

"I suppose, I haven't seen it since."

She nodded shortly, and then disappeared, seemingly back into Inuyasha's room. He pulled on his jacket, then went to wake the two boys. Miroku was human and injured, which meant he had to go easier on him than he did Inuyasha. He entered the boys room with a cold bucket of water and proceeded to dump it on the boy's head.

"WHA! I didn't do it!" Miroku cried out, falling clear out of the bed. The picture he'd been clinging to fell from his hands and the glass broke on the floor.

Sesshoumaru arched an eyebrow. "I didn't accuse you of anything. Get up. Get dressed, you and my brother are GOING to school."

"What about the girl?"

The demon turned, finding his brother standing there, looking remarkably clear eyed. Beneath the boy's eyes, however was more luggage than you find on the baggage claim at the airport. It was painfully obvious that he hadn't gotten a good nights sleep the night before. "What about her?"

Inuyasha walked into the room and closed the door. "She says she can't regain her energy unless she's with me constantly. That means either she comes to school and is in ALL of my classes, or I stay here." Inuyasha saw the conflict on his brother's face and knew the demon saw the problem.

"Naraku is at your school. He is one of your teachers. Not to mention, all the demons will be able to sense her magic-"

Miroku raised his hand. "I can try to seal them. I haven't done it in years, but I can put a light seal on her powers, which would make her seem human, but wouldn't stop her from using her magic to defend herself."

The demon nodded. "Very well. I have to go into the school this morning to excuse your absences anyways. Work on your seal, Miroku. Inuyasha, take her out and get her some suitable clothing. Although I'm sure she's used to what she's wearing, she's going to have to wear clothing from this time while she's out of her 'home'."

"Wh-what!" Inuyasha gasped, his eyes wide. "You want...ME to take her out shopping? The one you commonly call fashion challenged?" He watched his brother open his wallet and held his breath as he was passed the gold card. 'Holy shit, he's serious...'

"You're merely paying. I'm sure Kagome's taste is far better than yours anyways."

With that, the demon swept out of the apartment, leaving two baffled teens in his wake.

Miroku glanced at Inuyasha and half-grinned. "D'ya think I should have told him that Kagome's previous owner is coming by later today?"

Sesshoumaru ran a hand through his hair, walking down to his car. This was already shaping up to be on hell of a week. So far, he had his brother, and his brother's best friend living with him, and now...

The elemental.

Granted, life was easier with her around playing home-maker. There was breakfast on the table each morning, just as they woke up, and very good coffee in the pot. He made a mental note to have Inuyasha take her to the market that weekend, provided hell didn't break loose prior to that.

He climbed into his car and rested his head against the rest. "Shit..." He muttered, slamming the keys into the ignition and turning the engine over. It objected at first, complaining about the chill of the air outside. "Come on, you half a million dollar piece of shit..." Sesshoumaru muttered, turning the engine over again, listening to it roar to life.

Naraku obviously had the diamond necklace his father had given Inuyasha's mother, otherwise he wouldn't have the diamond with Kagome's sister in it. Which meant that someone had robbed the woman's grave. Inuyasha was going to blow a gasket when he found out.

The demon rubbed his forehead as he pulled out of the parking lot, driving towards his brother's school. The traffic was heavy as usual, and he closed his eyes, remembering why he hated driving. Hell, he could run to the school faster than this traffic was moving.

Restlessly, he ran a hand through his hair, remembering his father's tales of feudal Japan and how demons ran everywhere. Then cars were invented and the world became thick, cloudy, and smelly.

The world had gone to shit.

He sighed, sitting in his 500,000 dollar, handmade car and wished he was running wild through the forests of Ancient Japan. When he opened them, he realized that he could JUST barely squeeze into a parking lot near the school and zipped in quickly before another car could take advantage of the scant space.

He found a parking space near the top of the garage and walked towards the edge, looking out over the city. With a wry grin, he stepped off the edge, enjoying the feel of the wind as it rushed past him on his way to the ground.

This was exhilarating.

He landed on the ground lightly, ignoring the dumb founded expressions on the faces of several humans and demons he walked past.

Hmph. You'd think they'd never seen someone jump off a building and land on their feet. He didn't notice the small figure look up from a grimy corner get up and follow him.

Upon arriving to the school, he noticed that he stood far taller than any of the students and almost smiled. He should. He had inherited his father's height. His taiyoukai father had stood nearly 6 feet in his bipedal form, much larger than that in his canine form. Most of these demons and humans were not yet fully grown either.

He sighed heavily, moving towards the office. He knew this school well. After all, it is the school he'd gone to as a child. Although it had seemed much larger and intimidating then. Now it seemed rather small and irritating. Like a toad.

He reached the main office and found Naraku outside with a lovely young woman who positively reeked of magic. They were blocking the door, seeming to be in the middle of a rather heated argument.

"You will do as I say, woman!" Naraku raised his hand and was about to strike her, and the woman cringed away from him.

Sesshoumaru cleared his throat, looking pointedly at Naraku.

The demon looked towards him in shock and quickly lowered his hand. "Ah, Fushizawa Sesshoumaru? Inuyasha's brother?" He moved towards him and offered a hand and a smile like a sleazy car salesman. "This is certainly an honor..."

Sesshoumaru ignored the hand, choosing instead to examine the young woman who had fallen back against the wall as soon as Naraku's attention was elsewhere. Her hair was black as pitch, swept up on top of her head., her red eyes wide, devoid of a pupil. Her breathing was ragged, causing her breast to rise and fall rapidly. She was dressed in a pale blue business suit, and white blouse, black pumps, which accented her lovely calves.

She was, in fewer words, a knockout.

Naraku noticed the demon's attention was elsewhere and hurried to introduce him to his companion. After all, having an ally like Fushizawa Sesshoumaru was never bad, especially since his brother had something/someone he wanted. "This is my...sister, Kagura." He said, smiling.

Sesshoumaru snorted. 'Sister my ass.' He moved towards the woman and took her hand, lifting it towards his lips. "A pleasure."

Kagura finally looked at the man who'd interrupted Naraku's abuse and found herself becoming quite red. "Th-the pleasure's mine." She winced at her stammer, but couldn't tear her eyes away from those intense gold ones. The door beside them burst open and Jaken, the short, squat school principal appeared at the doorway.

"Ah, Sesshoumaru-sama, I thought I'd heard you." The toad waggled a finger at him. Then, he glanced at Naraku. "In my office now, Naraku." He ordered, holding the door open, his face irritated.

The teacher would have brought Kagura in with him, but Sesshoumaru simply guided her to sit in a chair. "I think you can let your sister have a moments rest, Naraku." He said coldly, watching the teacher stiffen and then disappear into the office.

"Thank you." Kagura said softly.

He stood, a small smile on his face. "I told you already, my pleasure."

She blushed, looking down at her hands. "Do you always make it a point to rescue damsels in distress?" She finally asked, her voice light and teasing.

He blinked, glancing down at her. Was she flirting with him? He saw the small smile on her face and his matched. "Perhaps. Then again, I find it rather sickening when a man strikes a woman."

She smiled sadly. "If I could get away from him I would." She sounded bitter, even to herself. A tear escaped her control and she hurriedly wiped it away.

He leaned towards her, bringing his lips close to her ear. "Your sister sends her regards." He said softly, knowing she would understand.

Kagura's eyes flew wide and she looked at him. "Kagome?"

He nodded shortly, seeing the door opening again. He signaled for her to be quiet. "It was lovely to meet you, Kagura." He said, lifting her hand to his lips, pressing a breathy kiss against it. "Unfortunately, I have a meeting." He straightened, looking directly at Naraku, an amused expression on his face. "Oh, and Naraku, remain outside of my family affairs. You're not a part of it, after all."

Kagura watched wide eyed as the tall demon swept from the room with an aristocratic air and into the office where he took a seat. Almost literally. He sat down, and it was like the chair was his. She'd never seen anyone she'd wanted to abandon her duty for more.

HOT.

And the purple tie set off his eye-color so well.

"He's gay." Naraku said after the door was closed.

Kagura was still blushing, however from the meeting with the handsome demon. She looked down at the back of her hand and smiled faintly. "Some how, I doubt that, master." She said softly.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Inuyasha and Kagome had left about an hour after Sesshoumaru that morning. They'd left Miroku to wait for the visitor that was supposed to show up today. Miroku had finished the seal in record time, revealing that his families Buddhist roots were still strong.

Upon the placing of the seal, which was drawn like a tattoo on the back of her neck, her shockingly blue eyes had faded to a dark blue. The rather creepy flames behind them had died down as well. Together, they looked like a normal hanyou and human couple out shopping.

They walked around the mall idly, Kagome not even noticing the rather 'Miroku-like' expressions on their faces. Inuyasha, on the other hand, growled at every male that came anywhere near her. It wasn't like he was jealous or anything. He just wanted to get this whole thing over with as quickly as possible.

He sent her into the underwear store alone, standing calmly outside, the corner of his mouth twitching. Whatever it was about shopping for female underwear, she seemed to be taking an awfully long time.

"Hey, Inuyasha, could you come here for a second?"

He frowned deeply. Maybe she was ready to get out of that store...

A sigh escaped him and he walked in, glancing towards the register, seeing the woman behind it smiling politely. "Where is she?"

The woman pointed him towards the back of the store.

He walked back and upon reaching the fitting rooms, he froze. Kagome was standing there in a bra and panty set that had all the blood in his body rushing southward. He turned away quickly, pinching his nose. 'Holy SHIT! Why the hell did Sesshoumaru make me do this! Couldn't I have just stayed home from school!'

"Do these fit okay?"

The innocent question caused him to have the urge to giggle insanely. Or melt into the floor and die. The fitting woman was giggling softly not far away. The corner of his eye twitched. "They're fine, I'm sure. I don't know a damn thing about lady underwear." He said, moving towards the front of the store.

"You could at least look at me when you talk to me!" The girl glared at his back.

Inuyasha didn't stop walking until he was outside of the store again and then he promptly began banging his head against the wall. Fifteen minutes later, she emerged, bags in hand, looking at him, a curious expression on her face. "Something wrong, Inuyasha?"

"Kagome, if you don't want Miroku touching every available inch of skin you have, NEVER walk around my house like that, got it?" He said, his voice soft so the other shoppers couldn't hear him. "Shit, it's called UNDERWEAR for a reason. You don't just prance around in it or show it off to people you're not intimately involved with!"

"I see your underwear every night." She pointed out.

He flushed darkly. "I never told ya to look!"

"Well, then wear pajama." She said, remembering the term for sleepwear Sesshoumaru had used.

"They're uncomfortable." He muttered, bitterly. They moved on to the next store, and Inuyasha led her to the ladies section. It took them a little while to find out what size fit her, but soon, the flamboyant cashier, Jakotsu swept over, grabbing several outfits off the wracks and pushed them both towards the dressing room. Jakotsu had to be persuaded a little too hard that Inuyasha did NOT need his help getting dressed in the single outfit that Jakotsu had grabbed for him.

Inuyasha tucked in the pale blue shirt into the black slacks and looked into the mirror. "Keh, I still think I look like a pansy." He muttered under his breath, then left the dressing room to wait for Kagome. Withing a few minutes, he was growing impatient.

"Are you sure it's okay to wear this stuff in public? It seems just as bad as the underwear if you ask me..." Kagome said from inside the dressing room.

"Oh, for the love of Christ, get your ass out here." He said impatiently.

The door of the dressing room opened slowly, revealing Kagome. Inuyasha's mouth fell open slightly as he sucked in a soft breath.

The dress was black and tied around the back of her neck. The neckline revealed a good bit of her creamy cleavage and it's hemline rode around the middle of her thigh. She blushed, turning, a 360, showing the back wasn't particularly low, but the skirt flared a bit as she turned, and her hair flew out, and he realized something.

Kagome, the fiery little elemental who'd popped unexpectedly into his life, was definitely an X chromosome. Right then, it was more painfully obvious than when she'd pranced out of the dressing room wearing only her underwear, completely oblivious.

"Is it okay? It's kinda short..." She tugged at the hemline, blushing faintly.

He had to swallow several times before he could talk. "It looks fine." He said, before quickly walking into his own dressing room and changing back into his casual jeans and t-shirt. "Shit, I hope that fruitcake didn't just pick out stuff like that for her. If he did, I'm gonna have a permanent erection..." He muttered under his breath, hanging the folding the pants and shirt and sitting down on the bench, putting his head in his hands.

"Inuyasha?"

He left the dressing room, finding her waiting, wearing blue jeans that looked like someone had painted them onto her and a button down shirt the same color as her eyes. He sat down in a chair and nodded at her. She flashed him a brilliant smile, and disappeared back into the changing room.

When she was gone, he put his head in his hands. He was going to have blue balls before the day was over.

They left the store an hour later, Inuyasha's arms laden with bags. They'd had to stop at each department, and Sesshoumaru's credit card was now officially depleted. The pair collapsed on a bench by the fountain in the middle of the mall.

Inuyasha glanced towards her and saw her staring up at the stained glass ceiling of the mall with fascination. "What is it?" He asked, glancing up as well.

"That's beautiful." She said softly.

He looked at her, his eyes widening. Then, he grinned. She was a refreshing change. Kikyou had been the proverbial mall rat, very jaded to anything that didn't involve high fashion and the most expensive jewelery, and new make-up. Meanwhile, with Kagome...it was the simple things that made her light up.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in..."

Inuyasha looked up quickly and saw Kikyou on the arm of her newest conquest, a young human by the name of Hojo. The boy was naive, handsome, and RICH. He arched an eyebrow, and snorted. "Hello, Kikyou." He said, returning to stare at the stained glass ceiling.

Kagome felt the anger in the boy beside her rising and looked at the girl who was smiling vapidly, while the boy who was obviously her escort seemed to be trying to shy away from the rapidly angering hanyou beside her.

"Why look, is this your new plaything?" Kikyou taunted softly, her laugh tittering through the air.

The hanyou's hands curled into fists and he sat upright, glaring at her. "I don't have 'plaything's' Kikyou. That's your thing." He glanced towards the girl beside him.

"Ah, then she'd be my replacement. Why it's almost like looking into a mirror..." She leaned close to Kagome, smiling at her, eyes filled with venom. "Who cares if her hair doesn't have the luster of mine, or if her eyes and mind are just a bit dull..."

Kagome stood slowly, knowing an insult when she heard one. "Come on, Inuyasha, let's get out of here. The company is better at your home."

"You're taking this little bitch home?" Kikyou obviously didn't like to be ignored. She pulled away from Hojo and moved towards Kagome, raising her hand, about to slap her. She brought it down, and was startled when the girl caught it firmly, not even glancing at her. "Little slut..."

Kagome turned towards her, slowly. "Kikyou, right?" She asked softly. "Look, _Kikyou_, Inuyasha and I were out spending some time together. I'm an exchange student, staying in the Fushizawa house." She paused, watching the teenage woman absorbed that. "And if you continue to insult me, I swear, I will throw you into the fountain."

The girl wrenched her hand away, her eyes filled with fury. She looked towards Inuyasha, who was smiling in an amused fashion. "If you think this little twit will fill the void I left in your heart, go ahead and have your fling with her." She turned and was about to flounce away when Kagome grabbed the back of her shirt.

"I keep my promises." Kagome said softly, then gave the girl a good hard shove into the fountain.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sesshoumaru left the school when Kouga was drug in with two other boys, sporting bruises and claw marks. The other two were the brother's, Hiten and Manten, part of a gang that was reasonably well known in the city. He'd leaned towards the principal and quietly reminded him to keep Kouga out of Naraku's class for the day.

The tall demon moved easily through the throngs of people in the street, catching a strange scent following him. It was the scent of garbage, not too far behind him. He walked up the stairs of the parking garage and heard the soft patter of feet following him, not even trying to hide themselves.

Upon arriving at his car, he stopped, waiting for whoever it was following him to show themselves. 'It had better not be a mugger...' He thought, his face irritable.

It wasn't.

It was a little girl with dirty cheeks, messy black hair and wide, innocent gray eyes.

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Why are you following me?"

She blinked, then smiled brightly, and jumped dramatically, landing and staring up at him.

He frowned. "What do you want, Kid? I'm trying to get home."

The girl's face fell, but then she smiled again. She pointed at herself, then held up two fingers. It was like crude sign language, but it was enough that he realized that she was probably lost.

He put his head in his hand. "Look, kid, if I buy you a burger or something, would you just go away?"

Her face brightened and she threw her dirty arms around his legs. He cringed, realizing that in order to get the garbage stink from the wool slacks, they'd have to be dry cleaned. There went another fifty bucks.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

He'd gotten expelled. Oh, dear god in heaven, he was screwed. His parents were going to kill him. He was dead.

Kouga rubbed his temples, trying to avoid going home. He knew that fighting in school would get his ass thrown out of it, but, still. Biting his lip, he stood once again, walking the last few blocks towards his house. Upon arriving, he saw his father standing outside, a furious expression on his face. Jaken was on the ball today. The bastard toad had already called his father.

"Fighting again!" His father yelled before the door was even fully closed.

"That fucking bastard Hiten started it! The only reason he didn't get expelled is because his dad is a fucking Yakuza boss!"

His father shook his head. "Kouga-"

"I don't fucking care, dad, I'll just start working full time for Sesshoumaru, and I'll get my own place, alright! I'm through with this bullshit! And here-" Kouga wrenched the ring out of his pocket and slammed it down on the wooden gate.

Everything got really quiet for a minute, then the earth began to shake. Kouga and his father froze and his father disappeared into the house, throwing the door shut.

Slowly, Kouga turned, his eyes wide with fear.

There, standing, or rather, floating not three feet away from him was a girl with auburn hair and bright green eyes. There were leaves surrounding her, and a huge crack in the earth beneath her feet. Slowly, the leaves fell to the ground and the girl lowered as well, touching it lightly. She looked at him and smiled brightly.

"Hello." She said, then walked straight up to him, wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a firm kiss to his lips.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_AN: Affectionate thing she is, isn't she Now, be honest, how many of you laughed when Kagome shoved Kikyou into the mall fountain? Admittedly, I was grinning evilly when I wrote it. Ahem, to those of you reading who think that relationships are progressing too quickly, note, Kagome isn't really romantically interested in Inuyasha. My husband explained something to me after we were married, it goes kinda like this: Guys see a pretty girl, and the first thing that runs through their head is 'what's the fastest way to get her to have sex with me'. Please read and respond. The readers are the ones keeping this story going, remember that _


	6. Chapter 5

_AN: Readers...this AN is a notice. To those of you who have not read my profile update in which I state the reasons for my infrequent updates. Namely, I have other things that I must do. I love my fans, and I appreciate every comment, even the ones that are written in mostly caps and demand another update as soon as possible. What you must understand is, as soon as possible is as soon as possible for ME. I am an aspiring artist (To those of you who've visited my art gallery on Sheezyart), and I'm an aspiring writer. However, because I spend so much time on fanfiction, more often than not, I loose focus on my original works. I also have a very fickle muse. There are times when I become inspired, and I'll stay inspired for a few weeks, and then I'll suffer a complete burnout. Burnouts last for undetermined amounts of time, and I've been fighting with one recently. I'm sorry, but life interferes. Thanks for reading so far._

Kagome, Born of Fire

By: Demonsaya

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Everything got really quiet for a minute, then the earth began to shake. Kouga and his father froze and his father disappeared into the house, throwing the door shut.

Slowly, Kouga turned, his eyes wide with fear.

There, standing, or rather, floating not three feet away from him was a girl with auburn hair and bright green eyes. There were leaves surrounding her, and a huge crack in the earth beneath her feet. Slowly, the leaves fell to the ground and the girl lowered as well, touching it lightly. She looked at him and smiled brightly.

"Hello." She said, then walked straight up to him, wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a firm kiss to his lips.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Chapter 5

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Kouga really only had two options in this circumstance. He could be completely reasonable and have a freak out session that a girl randomly appeared behind him and started making out with him, or he could respond like any normal hot blooded male, sit back, and enjoy it.

Not a hard choice.

After all, it wasn't often that an opportunity like this presented itself.

So, he simply rested his hands on her hips and kissed her back until the girl pulled back smacking her lips. "Pleasure to meet you." He rasped, licking his lips.

The words had barely left his lips when the girl crumpled, collapsing into his arms. The wolf demon looked back towards his house and idly wondered if he should take her in there. No, he wouldn't allow his father to take responsibility. This girl had appeared before him.

So then WHERE?

An obvious response hit him so hard in the face he would have spun. With a grumble of annoyance, he grabbed the emerald ring, slipping it on his finger while juggling the unconscious girl. Then he scooped her up onto his back and headed towards his work place. Hopefully, his boss would have some interesting advice.

Or at least would help him bear this beautiful burden.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Kagome blinked a bit, pausing at the sudden feeling of vertigo. She felt a gentle hand steady her and she glanced towards Inuyasha, a serious expression on her face. "Ayame has awoken." She said calmly, quietly to her keeper.

"Naraku?" He asked, his expression worried. The girl seemed unsteady. Her skin had gone pale and slightly clammy.

"She's not scared, whoever it is, she seems to think she's in good hands." Kagome closed her eyes, trying to center herself, and felt gentle hands supporting her. With a thankful smile, she touched one gently, drawing from his strength a bit. "Thank you, Master." She said softly, opening her eyes to look up at him.

Inuyasha swallowed hard seeing the grateful expression on her face. He could feel the warmth of her skin through the clothing and her hand holding his in place. For a moment, he let himself forget that she was an elemental, allowing him to loose himself in her deep blue eyes. Kikyou obviously had no idea what she was talking about. Kagome was nothing like her, they looked nothing alike. But everything about Kagome screamed for him to kiss her and hold her to him forever. After all, as long as no one tried to summon the jewel, there was no need for her to ever leave, right?

Then she'd stay with him forever.

That caused a feeling of cold to settle into the pit of his stomach. That's right, she'd stay, she'd stay because she COULDN'T leave. That wasn't what he wanted. And she would never want to stay with him.

Kagome noticed the rather subdued expression on the normally passionately irritable boy's face and frowned slightly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothin." He muttered, then glanced towards Kagome. "You think you can find your sister?"

She nodded, seeing that there was a wall up once again. No longer did he wear the unguarded expression he'd worn earlier, when they'd been beside the fountain inside the mall. There was no wildly reckless smile on his face. In fact, right now, he looked a lot like his brother, Sesshoumaru. She frowned slightly and closed her eyes, but she was distracted by the boy beside her. She forced herself to focus and felt her powers draining quickly. Part of the problem with being the daughter of fire was that your powers sometimes burned hot, but when they did, they burned too fast as well. "East..." She said, feeling weak.

He noticed her skin had paled further and cupped a hand under her elbow in concern. "Are you okay?" He asked softly, watching as she turned her eyes towards him once again. He saw a strange emotion swimming in them and felt a blush rising to his cheeks. Her eyes showed everything, but it was like it was in a different language. He could see she was feeling something, but he didn't have a clue what.

There was concern on his features, and a faint blush on his cheeks. Slowly, she nodded in response to his question and found that she wasn't lying. His gentle contact with her elbow was allowing his strength to flow into her. She hated admitting it, but she was still exceptionally weak from fighting the seal, trying to keep it closed, trying to keep the lighter from creating a spark. Yet now she realized she had been an idiot. After all, the person she'd been fighting, the one who had always been hovering on the boundary between passion and fury, who always felt like raw, misguided anger, seemed now, since she'd met him to be someone who simply had no goal, no purpose, and given such, he'd gone from borderline violent to amazingly gentle.

The hanyou watched as her color quickly returned and he slowly took his hand away, looking towards her. "Let's go, maybe we can find her."

She smiled towards him and nodded. "Thank you."

The pair began walking down the street, Inuyasha barely a step behind the lovely young elemental.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Kagura felt a slight sap at her power and her eyes widened. Ayame had appeared. She struggled to keep her balance but failed, falling to her knees, scraping them on the concrete. She was so weak. She refused to touch her summoner, which meant her powers weren't regenerating.

Yet, she had to continuously use them to track her sisters, to tell him where they were located, which was draining her powers to the point of no return. That didn't matter so much, though. After all, if she died, her sisters would simply return to their housings and sleep. She would go peacefully, would simply fade from existence. Like dust on the wind.

"Kagura?" Naraku turned towards her, arching an eyebrow.

He didn't know that she would die soon without energy. She wouldn't tell him either. "Nothing, master. Ayame has awoken. It's common for a slight power drain when one of us awakens. I haven't located Sango yet. I believe she is not in the hands of a demon, however."

He smiled sinisterly, and she shivered. "Good..."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Upon entering the lobby, he saw his boss standing by the front desk, wearing a rather irate expression. On the tall chair he was standing beside was a small, somewhat dirty young girl, who was eating an ice cream cone, and looking up at Sesshoumaru with an almost worshipful expression.

That right there, almost caused Kouga to march right out of the hotel, still carrying the beautiful girl in his arms. He didn't care how many more weird looks he got, it had to be better than the verbal spanking he'd get for seeing his boss like that.

"Kouga."

He cringed, hearing the icy demon's voice. Slowly he turned. "Hiya, boss." He said, shakily. "Um, I need some help..." He shifted the girl in his arms and smiled a bit sheepishly. "Know anything about this kinda thing?"

Sesshoumaru scowled, almost snapping at the boy to take his little girlfriend home before he felt the magic radiating off the girl's body. "Shit. I see you found one of the Elementals." He gestured for the wolf to follow him and moved swiftly to his office. "Bring her in." The little girl followed, still eating her ice cream rather cheerfully.

"Adopt a human?" Kouga joked weakly, after the door was closed behind him.

The demon growled deeply. "I can't get her to stop following me." He complained, half-glaring at her, but there wasn't much heat in his expression. "She doesn't speak." He moved towards his desk and sat down so gracefully it was disgusting. "Set the elemental on the couch, Kouga and have a seat." He sounded almost weary. Two well manicured hands rose and began massaging his temples.

"Elemental?" Kouga asked, depositing the red-head carefully, trying not to wake her.

"One of four, evidentially. By any chance did she appear surrounded by leaves or rock?"

"How the hell'd you know that?" The wolf-demon sat in one of the comfortable leather chairs in front of the desk, resting his chin in his palm.

"Because my brother happened across one as well. His was surrounded by flames. A fire elemental. Yours is Earth." He picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Start a seal for Earth. Yes, she's here right now...Bring him with you." He hung up, looking at Kouga once again. "The only other one which has awoken is Air, who unfortunately appears to be in the hands of one of your instructors. Naraku."

Suddenly, the office door burst open, startling everyone save Sesshoumaru. Kagome practically flew in and was beside the couch, checking on her sister quietly. Inuyasha strolled in afterwards. "Oh, hi, Kouga." He said calmly, looking towards the girl who was leaning over the elemental on the couch. "This is Kagome."

"Looks a bit like Kikyou doesn't she?"

Both dog demons snorted. Inuyasha looked towards him, a half-smirk on his face. "Trust me, she's nothing like Kikyou."

"You bought her some suitable clothing?" Sesshoumaru asked, tilting his head to the side.

The hanyou flopped down into the chair, then caught sight of the dingy looking girl across the room. He looked towards his brother and arched an eyebrow. "Who's the kid?"

"..."

Inuyasha shrugged, glancing back towards the girl who had been his nearly constant companion for almost three days. "How is she, Kagome?"

"Power surge from being summoned. She's stronger than I was at this point." She fixed Kouga with an intense stare. "You carried her here?"

Kouga felt an uncomfortable flush cover his face. "Yeah, how else would I have gotten her here?"

She nodded in approval. "Good. Physical contact with the summoner raises her spiritual energy quicker than being in the same room."

Inuyasha frowned. "I didn't know that..."

"Neither did I." Sesshoumaru said, arching an eyebrow.

"There are...other things that work if there is an extended period away from the one who's summoned you..." Kagome paused, a faint blush on her face. "But that has never been necessary. Elementals gain some energy from being in the same room, and we do regenerate faster than if the summoner was in a different room. As long as we don't over exert our energy then that is enough."

Other things? Inuyasha noticed how she didn't embellish on what the 'other things' were. From the faint blush on her face, he could guess what those 'other things' were. It caused all kinds of inappropriate thoughts to flicker through his head in quick succession and he quickly looked away, lowering his head. The girl was tending to the other elemental and he sighed, resting his chin in his hands, trying to take his mind off her previous comment. "So..." He coughed a bit. "All that's left is water, right?"

"It would appear so. Miroku was supposed to be doing research on that while you two were out, but evidentially the Kitsune that was supposed to be holding onto Kagome's housing arrived and interrupted him a bit."

Inuyasha frowned slightly, glancing back towards the elemental. Then, he looked towards Kouga. "Kagome said that Ayame felt safe when she was summoned. She say anything?"

Kouga flushed from his neck clear to his hair line. "In a manner of speaking..." He said, coughing slightly. "Whys yours feel so muted?" He asked, leaning back in the chair and put his hands behind his neck. "And whys she dressed like a human?"

"So she would blend in better. Naraku is trying to obtain something called the shikon no tama and he has to summon it using all four elementals. He has one. I'm not sure how he would obtain the other's now that they've been summoned." Sesshoumaru glanced towards Kagome's back

"If he obtains our housings, he can...resummon us." Kagome said evenly. "If he can't find our housing, he would have to kill our summoner and use one of the elementals to locate our housings." She frowned. "His favorite seems to be killing the previous summoner, or whoever holds the housing."

Sesshoumaru frowned, arching an eyebrow. "How does he...manage this?"

A slightly sad expression crossed Kagome's face. "He likes to tear their hearts out." She said evenly. "He does it to those who have no connection to the housings as well. Especially if they get in between him and something he wants."

Inuyasha, who'd spent far more time with the elemental than anyone else the past few days, noticed the slightly melancholy expression on her face and frowned a bit. He sighed and decided he would ask her about it later. Now wasn't a good time with Kouga and his brother present.

Miroku and a boy with orange-red hair entered the office and Miroku glanced towards the couch, holding up a piece of paper. "Something to make it harder to pin her as an elemental." He said, and lifting the girl's hair, he laid it against her neck, where it created a strange tattoo. He waved at Kagome, then moved towards a couch on the far side of the room. "Everyone, this is Shippou, the one who originally held Kagome's housing.

Kagome looked at the young boy and smiled gently. "Hello, Shippou."

Inuyasha just kind of looked away, wearing a slightly crabby expression. "What the hell does he want?"

Shippou glared at Inuyasha, then walked towards Kagome. "Kagome, you have to come back with me. My dad is furious with me and he just wont calm down until he sees that you're safe."

Kagome looked at the boy and slowly stood, resting a hand on his orange hair. "I'm afraid I can't, Shippou. Explain to your father that where I am is safe and that if I were to go with you, it would put your family in unnecessary danger." She paused, glancing towards Inuyasha. "Besides I was summoned by Inuyasha, and as you well know, must remain at his side until the jewel is summoned."

The kitsune glared at Inuyasha. "If I resummon you then you can come back with me, right?"

"I could." She admitted. She watched as the kitsune marched towards the hanyou and held his hand out. But I doubt that Inuyasha will let it go easily.

"Gimme back my lighter." Shippou ordered evenly.

Inuyasha snorted. "Why the hell should I?"

"Because you're not responsible enough to deal with the responsibility of being the summoner of a elemental!" The younger demon growled in irritation. "You're too immature."

Inuyasha slowly stood, towering a good bit over the demon. "And you're mature enough to deal with the responsibility of protecting your whole family from a demon that would rip every one of their hearts out until he found you with it, and then he'd kill you as well?"

Shippou paled, backing up a step. "What!"

"Shippou..." Kagome said gently. "Naraku has Kagura. It's only a matter of time until he comes after Ayame and myself as well." She turned the Kitsune towards her and looked him in the eyes. "I appreciate what you are trying to do for me, but I am safest where I am right now."

The fox grudgingly nodded. "Fine, if it's what you want, Kagome..." He said evenly, but looked back at Inuyasha with a distrusting expression. "But I'm going to stay too, just to make sure this lug doesn't hurt you or misuse your power."

The hanyou growled, while the other's in the room had a healthy laugh at his expense.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Kagome was laying on his bed, her expression melancholy. He knew she thought he was sleeping. He wanted her to. He kept his eyes mostly shut, peering at her through his eye lashes. Inuyasha had an inkling that she was thinking of someone she'd known once before. A long time ago. Probably back when she was last summoned.

He watched her for a long time, pretending to sleep, but when she finally turned her face into his pillow and the scent of salt began filling the room, he couldn't pretend anymore. Quietly, he walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed and smiled a bit when she jumped startled.

Kagome looked up at him, finding a gentle smile and mildly concerned eyes looking down at her. Her breath caught in her throat and she bit her lip. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

"Naw." He shook his head. "I was thinking..." He paused, looking towards her. "You knew someone Naraku killed before, didn't you...someone who wasn't involved with your housing..."

She paled slightly, hiding her face a bit. "Two, actually..." She said softly. "One...was my brother, he was old when it happened, he'd lived a long life after I'd been sealed into my housing..."

"Brother? Was he an elemental as well?"

She shook her head. "No...Elementals were always someone with a great deal of power that agreed to be sealed to protect something. Sango, Ayame, and Kagura aren't really related to me directly. Souta..." Her voice cracked. "Souta was human, like me. He was just a boy when I was sealed." She shook her head.

Inuyasha could see that it was hurting her to think about it. Yet, morbid curiosity got the best of him. "Who was the other?" He asked softly, stroking her hair back from her forehead.

"Don't ask me that!" She whispered fiercely. She looked away but not before he saw the fresh tears in her eyes. Imagine her surprise when two firm hands caught her face and something warm and rough ran across the path her tears had taken down her face. She realized the hanyou was licking up her tears and blushed darkly.

"Then I'll ask something else I've been wondering about..." He pulled back, looking into her eyes, brushing her hair from her face and tangling his hands in it. "What are the 'other things'?" He teased lightly. He watched as the blush covered her face and smiled.

She looked away, flushed dark. "Sexual contact with someone who loves you and whom you love increases an elementals energy as well." She said in a mono tonal fashion.

His eyes widened at the answer. He had expected her to get flushed and simply brain him or give him a mental slap. Her honest answer caused a small smile to tilt up his lips. An honest smile. It appeared that the girl didn't detest him as it had seemed at first. The memories of his first few days here caused him to look away from her. "Do you still wish I wasn't your summoner?" He asked evenly. "If...if you're not happy...I can call Shippou and let him-"

"I'm fine, Master." She said softly, glancing away.

He looked towards her, wide eyed. "Kagome?"

She looked towards him slowly. "The impressions I received from you when I was inside the lighter are completely different from the one's I receive when I am with you. It is as though you have a purpose, a direction. Something to vent your frustrations at." She lowered her gaze, blushing slightly. "Besides, you are very kind to me." She felt his hands on either side of her face, lifting her face once again.

Inuyasha searched her eyes and found she was telling him the truth. He leaned slowly down towards her, running his fingers gently across her cheeks, careful not to scratch her with his claws. He ran his tongue over his lips, hesitating for only a moment before sealing her lips with his. This, he fully expected to get hit for, but once again, the elemental surprised him.

Her lips softened beneath his and he felt her hand rest lightly against his cheek as well. He growled deep in the back of his throat, pulling back to look at her and saw her looking back at him with a trusting expression. As he leaned towards her again, she whispered something that startled him.

"You don't taste like cigarettes..." She said softly.

He blinked, pulling back, looking at her with a perplexed expression. "So?"

"You didn't smoke a single one while we were together today..." She added.

He shrugged. "I quit." He said evenly, looking down at her, arching an eyebrow. "Why?"

A small smile turned up the corner of her lips. "No reason..." She said softly. She lightly stroked his face and closed her eyes in invitation.

He didn't refuse.

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_AN: YAY! First kiss! If anyone thinks they're moving too fast, it's just a kiss. No love confessions. Besides, ya wanna hear fast, the man I'm married to kissed me after knowing me for about 36 hours. Trust me, they're taking it pretty slow. Anyways, count on Sango coming in soon, probably next chapter, and probably more IY/Kag and Kou/Aya kisses. Also, Sesshoumaru is going to run into Kagura again. Fireworks coming soon. Please R&R. Reviews make the author happy. Love peace and doughnuts, DemonSaya_


	7. Chapter 6

_AN: Readers...this AN is a notice. To those of you who have not read my profile update in which I state the reasons for my infrequent updates. Namely, I have other things that I must do. I love my fans, and I appreciate every comment, even the ones that are written in mostly caps and demand another update as soon as possible. What you must understand is, as soon as possible is as soon as possible for ME. I am an aspiring artist (To those of you who've visited my art gallery on Sheezyart), and I'm an aspiring writer. However, because I spend so much time on fanfiction, more often than not, I loose focus on my original works. I also have a very fickle muse. There are times when I become inspired, and I'll stay inspired for a few weeks, and then I'll suffer a complete burnout. Burnouts last for undetermined amounts of time, and I've been fighting with one recently. I'm sorry, but life interferes. Thanks for reading so far._

Kagome, Born of Fire

By: Demonsaya

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Chapter 6

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Sesshoumaru was unsurprised to find Naraku in the principals office when he entered. He was almost pleased to see the elemental named Kagura at his side. He looked at the small man behind the desk and took a seat. "What is this about?" He asked calmly.

"You brother has neglected to show up to my class the past few-"

Sesshoumaru glared at Naraku, pleased when the demon went almost immediately silent. He saw the elemental hide a smile behind a hand. He returned his gaze to the little man.

"It's about Inuyasha, Fushizawa-san..." Jaken said, his face nervous. He dabbed a bit of sweat that was accumulating on his forehead. "He's been missing so much school-" He went abruptly silent.

"Indeed." Sesshoumaru agreed. "I'm sorry to say that my brother is quite sick, and Aono Miroku-san, who has been staying with us, has been remaining at the apartment with him since I cannot." Quite love-sick, that is. His brother had been walking around in something of a daze the past several days since Ayame, the earth elemental had awoken.

"Would you also know what happened to Ishikawa Kouga?" Naraku snarled, turning towards him, his face angry.

Sesshoumaru looked at his watch. "As far as I know, Kouga has been indisposed as well, seeing as he's left his father's home and has to pay for his own apartment now." He stood, dusting off his suit. "Funny, isn't it, Naraku, how you seem to be the only teacher who has issues with the fact that these specific students are missing school. How many of your other students cut class on a daily basis-"

Naraku sputtered.

The taiyoukai then turned his attention towards Kagura. "Ah, a pleasure to see you again, miss." He scooped up her hand and bent low to press a kiss lightly to the skin. He could almost hear Naraku's teeth grinding, and enjoyed that almost as much as he did the sharp intake of breath from the elemental. He could see why his brother was so smitten with his own. Before releasing her hand, he slipped a paper from his palm to hers. When he lifted his gaze, he saw confusion and something else.

Finally, he turned towards Jaken. "If there are any other problems, you'll call?" He asked calmly. The principal stood, nodding, and he idly wondered exactly how the students took someone who was just over three feet tall seriously.

Meanwhile, Kagura struggled to catch her breath, folding the paper discretely. She tucked it into her blouse and watched as Sesshoumaru left the room. He was messing with her, she was convinced. She could still feel his lips on the back of her hand. They were warm and smooth, a little dry. There was no point denying it. She was turned on. Damn him.

Naraku was talking to the principal, insisting that the boys couldn't possibly be sick, they had to be skipping school and she tuned him out. That man had something about him that was sinful. Something about how he could steal her breath and look so detached from it all.

Suddenly, she felt a slight draw on her energy and blinked, sitting a bit more upright. She didn't look at her master, simply set a hand against her chest. Her final sister was going to be released and soon. She shivered, her eyes widening and she flicked her gaze towards the evil man sitting beside her, oblivious to her condition.

Sango would be out soon.

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The power flowed around her and she knew her sisters had already awoken. The time to summon the jewel was upon them once again. Dark purple eyes opened to stare through the dark enveloping waters surrounding her. All it would take was the element to hit her housing and she'd be free. The clock would begin it's inevitable countdown.

The one who held her casing had power. Not like a youkai's power, but that of someone who had the blood of a holy man residing in their veins.

Not Naraku.

It wasn't time yet, so she relaxed. When the time came, she could leave. When the time came, she would be happy to be reunited with her beloved sisters. Especially Kagome. Her opposing force. Like, yet not alike. Sisters of their souls, not just because they were elementals.

Neither one born of Youkai blood.

A miko, who fought using her holy powers and a taijiya, who fought using her physical prowess.

Two girls who lost their brothers because of who, of what they were.

She closed her eyes and smiled. It would be soon.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

After that night, things got awkward between Inuyasha and Kagome. Well, truth be told, things had always been awkward between them, but now things were worse. Miroku couldn't help but notice how they were trying to give themselves whiplash by staring, then jerking their gaze from the other when that person looked towards them. It would have been comical, if it hadn't thrown Miroku's own lack of a relationship into greater relief.

Both halves of the couple were deeply troubled by this rather abrupt turn in their circumstance. It was much easier when Inuyasha was attracted to Kagome, but not attached. It was easier before Kagome had started noticing how much she really enjoyed his company. It was easier for both to not notice just how much they liked kissing each other.

So now they would sit in the same room and talk at each other, but not too each other, neither sharing those pieces of their soul that would make it even harder when finally Kagome had to return to her lighter. Frankly, it was starting to drive Inuyasha freaking crazy. He liked her. She was attractive, kind, and she had more braincells than Kikyou ever did. And she was a good kisser. A very good kisser.

Sesshoumaru had gone to work, Miroku was getting his stuff set up properly in the spare room, which left Kagome and Inuyasha to futz around with one of his video games. They were both being rather brutal to each other's characters, their emotions towards each other reflected in a fight between two fake characters.

"So, why the hell have you been avoiding talking to me?" Inuyasha asked, landing a solid punch to her character's face. This was something they had to talk about. Whether she liked it or not.

She bit her lip. Video games was something she'd found she had an aptitude for. It was mostly pattern recognition and memorization. "What are you talking about?" She sighed, spin kicking his character across the ring. A slight frown turned down her lips when he hit the power button on the Playstation, turning it off. "Hey! I was winning!"

"Now we're talking." He said, tossing his controller across the floor and snatching hers away. "Look, if what happened the other night bothers you, relax. I get it. I'm not an idiot, Kagome."

She flushed, looking away, scooting away from him. "You don't understand a thing." She said quietly. Emotional distress drained her. "It's not..." She felt his hand lightly touch her cheek and bit her lip. "It doesn't bother me. I just don't think it should go farther."

He caught her chin, making her look at him. "Why not?" When she pushed lightly against his chest, he backed off slightly, but kept the contact with her face. "Answer me, Kagome."

She glared at him when he made the demand. She was being compelled to answer. Damn him. "Because I don't want to get too close." She spat at him. She saw shock on his face and wanted to look away, but his gold gaze now held her captive. "I'm going to leave, eventually." She whispered. "And when I return to the housing, I'm stuck until the next time we're summoned. I can't stay on this plane, not until the Jewel is gone, and that means letting it be summoned and used, and no one can make a wish pure enough for it to disappear!"

He dropped his hand from her chin. "Kagome-"

"So I'll be stuck back in that damn lighter, remembering you, feeling you through it, IF you're still alive, until the next time, and that will be years after this. Don't you get it?!" She tore at her hair. "We can only be summoned every five hundred years. You'll be dead the next time I'm free. I'll never see you again. If I..." Tears filled her eyes. "If I fall in love with you, it'll kill me when I leave..."

Inuyasha smoothed her hands, pulling them from her hair and tilted her face up gently. He searched her eyes and knew plainly that it was too late. For either of them. They were too far down this path. Maybe they'd been too far down it before they'd kissed. This was someone he could fall in love with. Someone real, someone honest. Gently, he licked the tears from her cheeks, his hands sliding down to her neck and lacing behind it keeping her from pulling away.

Kagome shuddered slightly at the feel of his tongue on her face. "Master-" She gasped when he nipped her chin lightly and licked the tip of her nose. "Master, please..." Her heart felt like it was breaking. "Don't do this to me..."

He hesitated for a moment, seeing the need and sadness combined in her eyes. Instead of saying anything in answer to her plea, he cupped her face with one hand and kissed her lips gently. As she pulled back, he chased her, till her head was trapped between him and the bed. He kissed her cheeks and forehead, hearing her sobbing. "Shhhh..." He whispered, moving his hands to her arms, lightly stroking her skin. "Don't cry..." He nibbled gently on her neck, licked the lobe of her ear.

Involuntarily, her sobs slowed and her arms went around his neck. "Why...?" She whispered, her will broken. She needed his strength, she wanted this.

He pulled back, looking into her eyes and grinned a bit. "Because you feel good...right. Like you were made for me." He brushed the tears away and nibbled her lower lip. "Besides, it's too late. You've been mine since you came out of the lighter, and I've been yours." He felt her breath gasping against his lips and pulled her into his lap and against him. "You know it's true." He growled, then kissed her forcefully.

She whimpered, clutching his shirt in her hands. His hands bit into her flesh slightly and he kissed her with a violent kind of gentleness. His tongue swept through her mouth without asking and all she could do was respond. Because she wanted to, because she knew he was right. It was too late. His lips ravaged hers and she slid her arms up his chest and fisted his hair in them. When he descended to her neck, she whimpered again, feeling his tongue and teeth leaving their mark at the junction between her neck and shoulder.

"Say my name." He demanded, tearing his face from her neck and looking down into her dazed, somewhat foggy expression. "Say it..." He saw realization cover her face and he lightly licked her chin. "Please, Kagome. I want to hear you say it."

Kagome's eyes fell closed and she pressed her face into his neck. She'd rarely spoken his name. In truth, because it wasn't allowed unless given permission. Now he was demanding it of her and she found the name rising to her lips without needing to force it. "Inuyasha..." She whimpered. She pulled back and looked at his face. There was pleasure in his eyes. He liked to hear her say it, she realized, and it fell unbidden from her lips again. "Inuyasha..."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Miroku grumbled, digging through his mother's things, trying to ignore the argument going on between the volatile hanyou and equally volatile elemental. It seemed everyone had one except for him. His research to find the final one had come to naught. It appeared that it was his destiny to stand on the sidelines for this one. His mother's rosary sat on his desk, a bit dingy.

He needed to clean some of the pieces that were nicer, the ones he wanted to keep.

Like that one.

He lifted it into his hand and examined each bead. They were connected by a larger bead, and he tapped it, curious about the substance it was made of. It felt differently than the rest of the beads, not wood. It felt almost like a kind of stone.

He walked into the bathroom, noting the argument seemed to have stopped, but they were still talking. Good, maybe things would relax a bit more. He slipped the rosary around his wrist and turned on the water, pumping some soap into it. As the water foamed up, he unwrapped the rosary, slowly setting into the water. When it was finally fully immersed, the water seemed to tremble.

Miroku heard a roaring sound and something seemed to be coming out of the water. He backed quickly away from the sink as what he could only describe as a tenyou rose out of the water and stared at him with a slight smirk. Her hair was black as night, her eyes a rich dark purple. Her skin was pale, her lips petal pink. Water swirled around her as she rose, revealing a muscular, lithe figure. When her ascent was complete, she rested lightly on the water in the sink. She walked off the water in the sink and dropped, hovering an inch above the ground in front of him. "The countdown has begun."

Then, she collapsed against his chest, and Miroku found his arms full of unconscious young woman.

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Kagome felt the draw on her energy and a shift in the base of her stomach just before Inuyasha kissed her once again. She turned her head, her eyes widening. She heard a muffled curse leave the hanyou's mouth and lightly brushed her lips against his cheek in apology. "Sango has awoken." She whispered.

His head snapped up. "Where?!" He asked.

His bedroom door swung open and he found Miroku standing there, holding another girl, a rather dazed expression on his face, both he and the girl soaking wet. "Right here I believe." He said, looking stunned. A white rosary had been twisted around his wrist.

Kagome's eyes widened and it felt like a clock ticking inside her. It was counting down, she knew, counting down until the jewel would have to be used and they would all have to return to the gems they'd resided in prior. She knew well enough that Naraku would force the summoning as quickly as he could get the proper items together to do so. If the summoning was forced, she'd be pulled from Inuyasha's side. She stood, walking towards Sango and wrapped her arms around her sister. She helped Miroku ease her to the floor. There was only one option.

"We're going to have to force Naraku's hand." She whispered, biting her lip fiercely. She lifted her gaze, looking between Inuyasha and Miroku. "Contact Kouga. Tell him that it will begin three days from now. That should give us all enough time..."

She felt the weight of Inuyasha's hand on her shoulder. "Kagome? What's going on?"

She looked up at him, her lip caught between her teeth. "We don't have much time. We must begin to prepare." She looked towards Miroku. "If you don't want her to tear your hands off when she wakes, I suggest you don't touch her in any violating way." She stood, turning to Inuyasha. Her eyes were sad. Yet, it seemed tragedy was always going to be a part of her life. "We're going to have to start the ceremony to summon the jewel without Kagura. She will physically be pulled to it, but without her housing it will fail. Which means Naraku will have to get there quickly, because twenty-four hours after the ceremony begins, we will return to our housings."

Inuyasha's eyes snapped wide. Three days. They were only going to get three days?

Kagome saw the pain on his face and lowered her gaze. "I told you, Inuyasha. There was no way this wasn't going to end badly for us." She cupped his face, watching him lean into it. "We have to prepare. Call Kouga and have him bring Ayame. Call Sesshoumaru as well. We will need his assistance." Then, she sank back to her knees and helped Miroku carry the unconscious Sango to his room.

Inuyasha curled his hands into fists in anger. It was too soon. He hadn't had enough time with her, and it was too damn fast. He felt his claws prick the skin of his hands and a soft growl bubbled up from his throat. He snapped up the phone and called Kouga and took a steadying breath as Kouga answered. "Hey, it's me." He snapped. "Bring Ayame by. Kagome needs to talk to us. Bring my brother with you."

He didn't say bye as he hung up. He rather, thrust the phone into it's cradle with a violence that belied intense frustration. He wouldn't let her go. He was going to find a way. He'd have to talk to the others, but he would find a way. Even if he had to use the jewel, himself.

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_AN: Yeah, another chapter for the first time in forever. Please let me know what you think, and sorry for the delay. I've had other things on my mind...like babies...anyways, you know the drill, leave me a note, I love hearing from all of you! Love, peace and big boxes of giant pocky!_


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